Catwoman’s first outing in the cinema
Catwoman’s first cinematic appearance took place in the 1966 movie version of the Batman TV series. Played by Lee Meriwether, Catwoman is one of four master criminals who fight the Dynamic Duo.
This movie featured Catwoman in her alter ego—not as Selina Kyle per se, but as Comrade Kitanya ‘Kitka’ Irenya Tantanya Karenska Alisoff. Ms. Meriwether and Batman star Adam West manage to enjoy some time romancing together, and the scenes are a delight. Less delightful is the series’ descent into camp humour that took place on the heels of this movie.
Spoiler: One interesting parallel between this movie and 1992’s Batman Returns is how Batman finds out who Catwoman is behind the mask. In this case, it happens at the end of the movie.
Still, the movie provided an opportunity for the producers to introduce some new gadgets into the show, notably the Bat Copter and the Bat boat. The former was also used in other television series, such as The Green Hornet and The FBI.
The movie is enjoyable watching, and it is a very important piece of Gotham history. Some may criticize it because it is camp, but it is an enjoyable film.